One of Steam's first hits of 2026 is this adorable co-op adventure game about exploring wastelands on the back of a giant crab

Two hulking crabs face off from a top-down perspective in a screenshot from DuneCrawl — (Image credit: Alientrap)

Steam's first sleeper hit of the year continues a trend from 2025 in that it's another co-op game best played with mates, but this one lets you commandeer a giant, freaky crab-base, so I can't be mad at it.

DuneCrawl is the name of the indie that came out a week ago and landed straight atop Steam's New & Trending chart at the time - it's still hovering around the chart a week later, too. And it's not hard to see why, either. The game puts you and up to three other friends in control of these cute mouse-people wondering about a sandy fantasy wasteland, but the art style on display in the trailer below will sell you on it better than I ever could.

DuneCrawl - Official Launch Trailer - YouTube

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Arguably DuneCrawl's biggest gimmick, however, is the hulking crab that helps you get around the wasteland. Not only are the big crabs lookers, they also serve as a pseudo-ship of sorts since you'll need to run about reloading canons, repairing joints, and even boarding other crabs during crustacean-versus-crustacean fights. A real pirate's life, only with more dry land.

"There are many flaws. A tad overpriced, a bit light on content, boss fights are rather rudimentary," one user review writes. "But I still begrudgingly recommend it. Its art style is distinct and pleasant to behold, its music does a reasonably fine job at complementing the visuals, the overall atmosphere is comfy and immersive, the baseline gameplay is sufficiently fun, the quests and underground puzzles are pretty solid... It's a wee gem... still has a lovely shine to it."

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